Ukyo and Akane
by FrictionX42
Summary: Seems to me that the two really have a lot in common, it's just the addition of Ranma that drives them apart. What if Ranma was out of the picture entirely? Post-ANIME fic, unlike my others.
1. Chapter 1

THESE CHARACTERS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ME OTHER THAN PURELY AS ENTERTAINMENT FOR MY SICK LITTLE MIND. I DO NOT NOR EVER WILL OWN THESE CHARACTERS, AS THEY BELONG TO THE GODDESS RUMIKO TAKAHASHI AND A WHOLE SLEW OF PEOPLE THAT SHE HAS DEEMED WORTHY OF OWNING THE RIGHTS TO USE THESE CHARACTERS. IF SHE HAD ANY CLUE AS TO WHAT I WAS DOING WITH HER FINE WORK, SHE WOULD PROBABLY SEND A HIT SQUAD. OR NINJAS. NINJAS WOULD BE SCARY. I MEAN, SASUKE ISN'T, BUT I'M QUITE CERTAIN SHE COULD FIND FAR MORE COMPETENT... ANYHOW, NONE OF THIS IS MINE AND PAYING ME FOR IT WOULD BE FLAT OUT WRONG. ENJOY.

Ukyo And Akane

Chapter one

A Ranma ½ fan fiction

By frictionX42

Part one

No more Ranma

Two weeks after the disappearance…

Morning. A quiet morning: not unlike those that came before **he** arrived. No, this morning seemed to be doing it's best to build up to **something**, but without the necessary chaos magnet, it failed to be anything more strange than to be quite pleasant and nice for the middle of summer. That was the real difference, Akane thought: Things were normal. Ranma was no longer here. His father stayed, because he was too frightened to go home to his wife, but Genma kept doing the normal Genma things; namely eating five times his share and sleeping in until noon. There was a time that mornings didn't used to be like this. When Ranma was here, anything could and often did happen in the mornings. Akane would go jogging, and return to see either Ranma or his father plunge deep into the koi pond and turn into a girl or panda, respectively. Now the placid fish swam without any fear that their peaceful tranquility would be disturbed.

"It's too quiet…" Akane said loudly, hoping that by addressing the lack of excitement, Nerima would notice the odd calm and produce something bizarre, as had been normal for the past year. It failed, and the morning continued in its boring manner.

"Oh, good morning Akane." Kasumi came into the family room dressed in her apron, ready to make breakfast. Of all the people in the household, Kasumi seemed to be taking the news of Ranma the best. Her father cried for a week straight, and had to be seen for possible emotional breakdown. No big surprises there. Shampoo and Cologne had gone in search of him, and she didn't expect to see them until Ranma showed up again. If he showed up again. The two amazons had left Mousse in charge of the restaurant, and it was doing very well. Mousse's magic tricks made up for the fact that nobody ever got what they had ordered. The surprise came when Akane found out how much Nabiki seemed distressed at Ranma's sudden disappearance- until Akane realized that her concerns were monetary in nature. The koi were understandably overjoyed about the sudden disappearance of Ranma. Akane was, well, Akane didn't know what she was feeling about him. She sort of missed him, she certainly was concerned for him, and she knew that her life had become more than a little more normal and bearable since he disappeared, but for all that, Akane wasn't sure about exactly what she felt.

"Good morning, Oneechan!" (Use of Japanese: one drink!) "Do you need any help with breakfast?"

Akane never could quite figure out why people always paled when she said things like that. It wasn't like she was **trying** to poison them or anything. She was just… _oh forget it, they never listen anyways. Especially not Ranma…_

Akane winced inwardly. Why was there that **feeling** anytime she thought about his name? It's not like she was in love with him or anything. She just couldn't place it. It hurt, whatever it was.

"Um… I think I'll be okay in the kitchen, Akane. Why don't you go see if Father is awake and ready to get breakfast?" Kasumi was always so sweet with her brush-offs.

"Okay, Oneechan."(Is it two drinks if I use the same thing twice?) Akane sighed and quietly made her way upstairs to see if anyone else was awake.

* * *

Darkness. Wonderful, black, non-painful darkness; the kind of darkness that makes it easy to forget all the things in your life that you wanted to forget – or for the things that one couldn't forget, darkness at least made it more bearable.

_I love darkness now… it's almost as good as having **him** here again. Except that I can count on darkness to be there, and Ranma is gone. He's been gone for over two weeks now; I wonder what he's up to? Not that it really matters. He isn't coming back to me or to anyone else for that matter. It just seemed that Ranma was always there every time we needed him, without fail. Now, though, it seems like he's dead or something._

Ukyo rolled over and looked at the clock. It was Tuesday. The day she had sworn she would open up her restaurant again, or she would be certain to lose it. At the moment, however, Ukyo had only the intention of falling back to sleep- a deep sleep that would offer her respite from her current situation. Maybe even a sleep that she wouldn't wake up from…

Ukyo sat bolt upright and shook her head. _Whoa sugar, get a hold of yourself! I can't believe you even __**thought**__ of something stupid like that! All right then, time to get up!_ Groaning, Ukyo moved slowly towards the edge of her bed, wearily. The very thought of getting up and facing customers almost made her sick, but she choked back the bitter taste, and slowly rose to her feet. Slowly, without much certainty but with a practiced grace, she began moving through some of the most basic katas that her father had taught her. Tears clouded her eyes as she reflected on how badly she had failed her father. Ukyo finished her exercise, and clenched her fists at her side. If Ranma thought he could break **her** spirit by leaving her behind again, he was sorely mistaken! "When he gets back," Ukyo swore hotly "I'M GONNA GET HIM FOR THIS!" And with that, she got to work.

* * *

The next day…

"Hey Akane, Ucchan's is open again, you want to go?" Sayuki asked.

"Not really, I don't feel like going anywhere right now." Akane moped. Sayuki was one of the few friends Akane still spent time with after Ranma's disappearance. They ate lunch together, but Akane tended to be too depressed to do much else.

"Akane, you need to get up and out a bit. We should head over there and say 'hi' to her. Didn't she used to be a friend of yours?"

Akane looked up for a moment. While it was true that there had been times when she had thought that she and Ukyo might get along, but then there was Ranma, and once he was thrown into the equation, any chance at being friends with Ukyo met a swift and merciless death. _Does Sayuki even know what she's saying?_ She leveled her eyes at her friend in disbelief and murmured, "Not exactly." Sayuki didn't catch it, however, and continued to goad Akane into going. "…Plus, she's having a grand reopening sale!"

Akane sighed. "Is the sale going on tomorrow? How about I go with you then?"

Sayuki settled back in defeat. "Alright Akane, the sale's until the end of the week, so I'll let you win this time, but it's a promise, ok? Tomorrow we'll eat lunch at Ucchan's."

"Tomorrow." Came Akane's resigned reply. Her mood was as dark as the sky outside.

Ukyo slumped against the counter after a long day's work. "I didn't think so many people would come!" She tiredly remarked, "Especially because of the rain. My okonomiyaki must have really been great." But try as she might, she still couldn't shake the feeling of absolute, total loss. Ukyo smiled hollowly to spite herself, got to her feet and began the long process of clean up. The first thing she did was clean the grill, and then she began to wash the dishes. As she began to wash the oversized spatula that doubled both as her primary weapon and also the most important tool in her culinary skill, she noticed a small dent in the metal, in the area of the handle. She was very familiar with that dent. It was the leftover mark from when Ranma bent her spatula during their battle the first day she had met him again. He had bent it back, but it had never been completely repaired. _Just like my heart…_ despair overwhelmed Ukyo again and she succumbed. When she came to her senses again she had no idea how long she had knelt on the floor, sobbing as she relived that fateful afternoon when Ranma had reversed her feelings for him. '_What a waste…' he said. What a stupid, stupid waste! I worked so hard after that day, and now look at where it got me! _Ukyo was quickly working her way into hysterics.

"Goddamn that stupid BASTARD! That's IT! I'm THROUGH with him! He's gone TOO FAR this time! HOW DARE THAT ARROGANT JACKASS THINK HE CAN GO AND LEAVE ME BEHIND **AGAIN**? NEXT TIME HE GIVES ME THAT STUPID SMILE I'M GOING TO SHOVE IT RIGHT UP HIS-"

Ukyo's tirade went long into the night.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Had this one on my mind for a long time. This actually got started during the six-year abstention from writing on my other two fanfics, and I wanted to finish them before I got around to doing this one. I found that this one ended up being a lot of fun to write, however, so it got started. I won't be working on it nearly as hard as my main two, at least not until I finish one or both of those. Once I'm done with those, however, I have lots of other stories in the works. I need more time to really get down to writing though, as a few paragraphs generally take me a couple of hours. Sometimes things get written very quickly and easily, sometimes it's like dragging a weight through a desert in the hot sun. Anyhow, I'm going to post what I've got, and anyone who really gets into this can just wait patiently until I have more time to devote to it.


	2. Chapter 2

NONE OF THESE CHARACTERS BELONG TO ME! I'D LOVE TO CLAIM THEM, BUT THEN I'D BE A NICE EASY TARGET FOR A LOT OF REALLY NASTY LEGAL ACTION. THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I WANT TO ENDURE, SO KINDLY DO ME A FAVOR AND KEEP IN MIND THAT THE ORIGINAL CREATOR OF ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS IS RUMIKO TAKAHASHI, A VERY TALENTED JAPANESE LADY. THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST BORING DISCLAIMER I'VE WRITTEN SO FAR. SORRY ABOUT THAT, BUT IT'S TOUGH TO THINK OF FUNNY STUFF WHEN YOU HAVE A HORDE OF RABID, SEMI-TRAINED WEASELS STARING HUNGRILY AT YOU IN CASE YOU FORGET TO PUT THIS DISCLAIMER IN.

Ukyo and Akane

Chapter two

A Fanfiction work by

FrictionX42

Akane left school late that day. Listlessly wandering the streets, She found herself in the park. Noticing a park bench nearby, she sat to rest for a few minutes. As she sat, she watched the people that walked past her. Most were students, returning home after whatever extracurricular activities that they practiced. For some, Akane noted, the 'extracurricular activities' were just beginning. As minutes ticked by and became hours, dark storm clouds began gathering over Nerima. Akane noticed far more couples walking through the park. Most of them were walking closely, some even holding hands.

"Hey, let's go in here…" Came a girl's voice, "Hardly anyone comes in here after dark." Her tone was so suggestive that Akane didn't need any further hints as to what the girl's intentions were. Akane spun around to watch as a girl clad in her school uniform led a young man, also in school uniform, into the park's maze area. Akane dully noted that they were Furinken High School uniforms and that the two were from her class. _I bet Nabiki would love to know that this was going on…_ Akane thought to herself as she gazed at the two teenagers enter the green labyrinth. As she watched, a memory gelled in her mind, prompted by the maze and her thoughts of her sister's similar webs of intrigue and deceit.

"He said to be ready at two, Akane." _Be ready, hah! How was I supposed to be ready for that day! That was the day he first said- said…_

"I LOVE YOU!" was all the warning Akane received as two hands shot out of the foliage from behind her and grabbed her around the waist.

[Drip, drip] Akane just stared as Ranma crawled the rest of the way out of the bushes and stood in front of her, his face as red as his hair when he was a girl. [Drop] she gaped in disbelief as he offered her a bouquet of flowers.

"Want?" he smiled at her. [Drip] she accepted, losing herself in those bright blue eyes…

[Drop, drop] "Huh?" Akane blinked as two huge teardrops fell from her eyes. "Why on earth did I think of that just now? And why on earth am I crying? That day was so- so- so…" Akane trailed off, unable to describe it, even to herself.

[Dripdropdripdripdrop…] Akane found herself soaked through very quickly by the sudden downpour. _Well, at least now it doesn't look like I've been crying._ She stood and slowly began walking towards the exit to the park. The two teens from before quickly scampered out of the garden maze, in various states of d(ist)ress. (Choose whichever you want. Pervert.) Akane's path home took her through the restaurant section of town. As she slowly meandered towards home, she passed by Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, where she had eaten many a well-prepared meal in relative calm. Ucchan's sounded far from calm this evening, however.

"… BASTARD!…IT!...THROUGH...TOO FAR… HOW DARE THAT INDIGNANT JACKASS THINK HE CAN GO AND LEAVE ME BEHIND **AGAIN**? NEXT TIME HE GIVES ME THAT ARROGANT SMILE I'M GOING TO SHOVE IT RIGHT UP HIS-"

Akane left at that point, but pondered what she had heard as she completed the walk home. _Maybe…_

"I FORGOT TO SET MY ALARM!" Ukyo shot out of bed at speeds approached only by bullets, some modern aircraft, and Ranma after telling Akane about her cooking. Dressing furiously, Ukyo kept a close eye on her clock. If she really hustled this morning, she might make it. "OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD I don't want to be late for my first day back to school!" Ukyo finished packing and ran out of the door to her restaurant towards school. The bell sounded just as she cleared the gate. _I might still be able to make it…_

Akane felt a little better the next day, and arrived at school with an edge of excitement. She had determined the night before to talk to Ukyo, deciding that maybe she could probably use a little company. _Not to mention that I could use some company, too._ Akane looked up from her desk and glanced over at the desk that Ukyo used to sit at. It had been empty since the day that Ranma disap-. Akane clamped her eyes shut at the tears that were beginning to form.

The bell rang, and the remaining students reluctantly filed into the room and to their seats. Ukyo, Akane was not surprised to note, was not one of them. _Well, I'm going to her restaurant for lunch today anyways,_ Akane reasoned, _so I'll still get to talk to her._

As her instructor entered the room, Akane heard a faint 'whoosh' noise. She was used to hearing those sounds, and after bowing good morning to her instructor, turned and was not overly surprised to see Ukyo settle down to her seat along with the rest of the students. _I hope she doesn't blame me for Ranma leaving…_She and Ukyo made brief eye contact as Akane sat, and she felt the old tension begin to rise. Akane unconsciously broke eye contact and looked at the floor, the caught herself. "Oh no you don't, don't you dare chicken out." Akane whispered to herself, and steeled herself to make eye contact again. She looked up, but Ukyo had her attention on the instructor. Akane continued to stare. _There looks like there's something different about her, _Akane thought. _She looks thinner than I remember…_ Akane was brought out of her thoughts by a piece of chalk expertly aimed so that it struck her right in the forehead.

"Tendo Akane, if you cannot even pay attention during roll, then you can go stand in the hall!"

Blushing bright red, Akane stood and left the room amidst the giggles of her classmates.

_ Why was she staring at me like that?_ Ukyo contemplated as she watched Akane leave the room. _Maybe she blames me for… I'll ask her later, now's not the time._ Ukyo turned her attention back to the front of the room, just as the teacher called her name.

"Not that I expect an answer this time, but… Kuonji Ukyo." He droned.

"Present!" Ukyo called brightly.

"Absent agai- 'Present?'" The instructor peeked over his roll sheet. "Oh yes. You popped in just after I did. Don't think that just because you've returned you can overlook proper punctuality, young lady. Go join Tendo Akane in the hall!"

"Yes, sir…" Ukyo mumbled automatically. She stood and trudged to the door. _Well, I guess I can ask her sooner than I thought._

The two of them stood in the hall; pointedly staring at the buckets of water they held. They hadn't yet washed the floor, as they were uncertain how to work with each other. Finally, after several minutes had passed, they turned to each other and spoke.

"Akane, I-"

"Ukyo, you-" Then the two of them together:

"You go first. No you go first…" and the two of them fell silent again. Tension mounted until the air was so saturated you could feel it. Taking a deep breath, Akane mustered up the courage to speak:

"Hey, Ukyo, I know that in the past we've sort of been at odds with each other. I think that maybe we should try to start over, since we've been given this new chance." Akane looked over at the other girl hopefully, trying to guess what she was feeling. Ukyo was standing with her eyes squeezed shut tightly, her muscles tensed as though…

"What are-? Oh no, Ukyo, I'm not going to hit you!" Akane smiled warmly as she realized what Ukyo had been expecting.

"Huh? You're not? Well, I um…" Ukyo looked embarrassed, and Akane continued:

"Look, let's just try it this way: Hi, my name's Akane. You want to be friends?"

Ukyo looked up at her incredulously as the question sank in. She just smiled in response, but that said all that needed to be said. The two grinned, and began discussing plans for the rest of the day.

"Okay you two, you've been out there long enough! You can come back in now… hey, where did they-?" But the two were nowhere to be seen. "… And the floor's still dirty!"

"Hey, that was a good idea just to go ahead and ditch school today. It started out pretty awful, didn't it, Akane?" Ukyo spun around the main room of her restaurant, making things ready for the lunch rush. Akane was busy in the kitchen, taking care of the dishes that Ukyo hadn't done the night before. (**NOT** cooking. What, do you think I'm insane?)

"Yeah, plus you look like you could really use the help here!" Akane called back, "But I would have liked to have seen Sensei's face when he came out into the hall and we were gone!"

"Oh I know! That would have been hilarious! By the way, thanks for coming by to help, anyhow. I really appreciate it." The two were carrying on more like friends now, both so thankful for something else to focus on besides the pain of being left behind. Ukyo was especially enjoying it.

"You know Akane, there hasn't been two women working at one of my family's restaurants since my mom died a really long time ago. It's kinda nice to see that again."

"I'm sorry, I never knew that you lost your mom, Ukyo. I always thought you just lived alone. I guess I just never really thought about it before."

"It's okay, Sugar, I got over it a long time ago." Ukyo's smile had lost a little bit of its sparkle, in spite of her words. "What about you? I've seen your dad around, but never your mom. I guess we have a bit more in common than we thought, huh?" Ukyo said, as delicately as she could manage. Akane's smile wavered a little as well, but she kept the conversation flowing.

"Well, my mother died when I was little. I don't have many memories of her, but I really miss her sometimes." Akane's voice became a little deeper, choked by emotion. "I guess you're right, we do have a lot in common. A lot more than just martial arts." Ukyo kept it up, emotion overpowering her as well:

"-Martial arts and moms and even- even Ranma." The last was barely a whisper. The two girls sat in silent contemplation for a moment, then looked up and noticed the tears that had begun to form in each other's eyes.

"Akane…"

"Ukyo…"

And the two rushed forward to embrace the other, tears flowing freely as they realized the full force of the suffering each had endured. The two hugged each other tightly, feeling the sadness abate slightly because of the shared experiences.

"Akane, I'm sorry I always treated you so badly. I never knew!" Ukyo cried.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come and talk to you, Ukyo. I should have known that I wasn't the only one left behind!"

The two girls continued to sob into each other's shoulder, thankful that each had found a compassionate soul, another person who understood the trials of the other. They stayed there, talking until late afternoon, the lunch rush skipped and forgotten.

"What a day!" Sayuki sighed as she walked back to school. "First, Akane ditches me for our lunch at Ucchan's, and now when I get there, it's not even open! What am I supposed to do now? I'm hungry!"

Back at Ucchan's, Akane sneezed suddenly and loudly. "I hope I'm not coming down with something…" Akane said under her breath.

Two months later…

"Wait, Akane! The grill isn't hot enough yet! You have to wait until it heats to the right temperature or the batter won't cook to the right consistency! AH! What are you going to do with that?" Ukyo's nerves were almost to their breaking point.

"I'm going to oil the grill, why?" Akane asked innocently.

"Look at what you have in your hand!" Ukyo sat down to take a breather. This was even more work than she had expected.

"Well how was I supposed to know it was vinegar?" Akane asked, joining her friend for a moment on the bench. "I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to teach me. I'm not good at this kind of thing anyways…" Akane looked like she was going to cry. "I have trouble boiling water for crying out loud!"

Ukyo chuckled quietly, "Well, Akane, it would certainly make my life a lot more boring! What would I do with my summer vacation if I didn't have you around? So what if we've had to close up shop once or twice to make repairs, or that your recipes scare people away? The important part is that you keep trying and don't give up! Think about it, I trained hard for ten years straight so I would master okonomiyaki. You can't expect to be good after only a few weeks!" Ukyo reached out and tousled Akane's hair. Suddenly, she jerked up, "Oh my gosh, Akane, look at the time! We're going to be late!"

The restaurant became a whirlwind of action as two teenaged martial artists tried to get ready.

"Ukyo! Have you seen my headband? I can't believe you talked me into this!" Akane quickly jumped into a nice looking halter-top and shorts combo that she had picked out the week before.

"It's on the dresser! And this was your idea!" Ukyo replied from the bathroom where she was furiously applying a light coat of makeup.

"I know, but I was only joking when I suggested it!" Akane grabbed the headband off of the dresser and fitted it snugly into her hair. It matched the shirt she was wearing, and served to bring out her eyes. "I never intended to go through with it!" She shouted as she dug through the closet to find the right shoes. _They were here yesterday…_

"But Hiroshi overheard, so now we're stuck with it! Come on, try to enjoy it! At the very least, it'll be good practice, right?" Ukyo emerged from the bathroom, clad in a snug tube-top with capri pants that showed off her curves very nicely. "Besides, I want to see the expression on their faces when they see what they're up against. So how do I look?" She posed for a moment, and Akane's eyes widened.

"Hey! I was going to wear those shoes!"

Author's Notes: I had originally intended to do this all as one large post, with no chapter breaks at all. It probably would have worked better that way, but I don't want to make everyone wait so long. So I'm posting it in chapters instead, with chapter breaks wherever I can find them. Since I didn't originally write it with chapter breaks in mind, this may or may not work out well.


	3. Chapter 3

NOT MY CHARACTERS, NOT MY SETTING, NOT MY PAYCHECK, AND NOT MY BUSINESS. IT IS MY PLOT, AND THAT IS ALL I CAN TAKE CREDIT FOR. ALL GLORY, HONOR, PRESTIGE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY MONEY GO TO RUMIKO TAKAHASHI FOR HER BRILLIANT CHARACTERS AND STORY. I'M JUST BORROWING THEM FOR A BIT FOR MY OWN SICK TWISTED ENDS. POOR LITTLE CHARACTERS. AT LEAST THEY CAN EARN MONEY FOR THE STUFF THAT THEY CREATE. OF COURSE IT'S ONLY MONEY IN THEIR UNIVERSE, NOT OURS, SO IT'S OF MARGINAL USE TO ME EXCEPT TO FURTHER WHATEVER BIT I HAVE GOING IN THE TALE I WRITE. I HAVE TO DO THIS FOR FREE ACCORDING TO INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW AND A HOST OF LAWYERS. AND THE WEASELS, YES. THEM TOO.

Ukyo and Akane

Chapter three: The date

"Are you two just going to stand there, or should we try to get in before the next movie starts?" Akane smiled at a dazzled Hiroshi. Daisuke, nearby, was having a similar reaction to Ukyo. The two boys had made an effort, it had to be admitted, but there's only so much guys can do. Hiroshi was wearing a new dress shirt, and Daisuke had used a splash too much of cologne. Ukyo and Akane giggled as they approached the two boys.

"Hey, where's your friend you said you'd bring?" Ukyo asked Daisuke, linking her arm in his. He reddened considerably, and stammered, "He, uh, said he'd be here! Where's Sayuki, anyhow?"

"Hey everyone, sorry I'm late!" Sayuki called from down the block as she paid the cab driver and hurried over to the rest of the group. "Hey, I thought you guys were hooking me up on a blind date…" She glared at the two boys, "Don't tell me it's so blind he's invisible!" She said with a wink. The group laughed at that, but after a few more minutes still couldn't locate Sayuki's date.

"Oh man, if he's any later, we'll have to miss the movie!" Hiroshi cried out.

"Look, it's no big deal, guys. Let's just go in, and enjoy the movie, all right?" Sayuki said, with a smile, but everyone could tell it was faked. "It's only a blind date, after all. It's not like I'm really being stood up, right?"

"Sayuki…" Akane began, but as she spoke, a shadow fell across the group. There, outlined by the sunset, staggered Ryoga. He was dressed by far the nicest out of the group, with a black suit and bow tie that matched his bandanna. He looked a little run down, but still had considerable style. He was carrying a bunch of slightly wilted flowers, and breathing heavily as though he had run all the way from Hiroshima (of course, he may have done just that.)

"Ryoga!" Akane shouted, "What are you doing here?"

"I finally made it! My first date with-" Ryoga began, but was cut off.

"When Hiroshi and I were trying to decide who to bring as Sayuki's date, we ran across Ryoga in the park. We figured we should invite him, so here he is!" Daisuke announced with a flourish. Ryoga stopped dead in his tracks,

"Wait. You said this was a date with-" and Hiroshi swiftly darted in.

"So here you go, Sayuki. Take good care of him!" and he and Akane entered the movie theater. Akane smiled brightly at Ryoga as she walked past him, "That's so nice of you Ryoga! I'm really glad you agreed to be Sayuki's blind date tonight!" She sailed past before Ryoga could reply, followed closely by Ukyo and Daisuke.

"But-!" Ryoga couldn't believe what was transpiring. Here it was, his chance with Akane at last, and then-

"Th-Thank you, Ryoga!" Sayuki said, behind him. Ryoga spun to protest that he was supposed to be with Akane, not with anyone else, but what he saw stopped him cold.

"That's really nice of you to want to take me out." Sayuki smiled at him nervously. She was dressed in a white summer dress with blue floral print with matching ribbon, purse, and heels. She was smiling slightly as she looked at him, cheeks a little flushed as she glanced at him nervously. As he made eye contact with her, the wind caught her hair and whisked it around her shoulders, and a feeling like an electric shock went through him.

"Well, that is- I, um..." Ryoga lost track of what he was trying to say, and began to fidget with his hands.

"Shall we go inside?" Sayuki took the flowers gently from Ryoga's hand, and slipped her arm into his. She then quietly guided him into the theater.

"Well, I'm glad that **someone** went and got the wrong movie times so that we're twenty minutes early instead of late!" Ukyo growled in the dimmed lights of the theater, but shot Daisuke a quick grin to show she was kidding.

"Hey, I figured it was our only hope to get everyone here on time. We told Ryoga it was yesterday!" they all shared a laugh, except Ryoga and Sayuki, who hadn't yet arrived. "Speaking of whom," Hiroshi noted, "Where are they?"

They all turned and faced the entrance to the room where they would watch the movie. Other people had begun to enter and choose seats, but Sayuki and Ryoga were not among them. When there were only a few moments until the movie began, Sayuki poked her head in the door and looked around quickly. Spying the rest of her group, she ran up to them quickly.

"Have you seen Ryoga? I sent him to get us some snacks while I went to the bathroom, but he wasn't anywhere around when I came out. You don't suppose he would have **left**, do you?" she looked almost as if she were ready to cry.

"Hey, don't worry Sayuki, this sort of thing happens with Ryoga all the time…"Akane tried to comfort her, and Ukyo came to stand nearby, in case she was needed. The boys hung back a bit, and Akane turned to chastise them.

"Hey you two, shouldn't you go and-" Akane stopped short as she noticed that Hiroshi had a hand-held radio up to his ear. She listened carefully in on his conversation.

"…all Hard Dragon Manly Tortoise elements, we have a situation **Lima Romeo**. I repeat: situation Lima Romeo. Teams three and six, continue with normal activity, all others conduct repair operations." Akane couldn't figure out what on earth was happening. She looked around, and noticed that about a dozen people were getting up and leaving the room. She noticed that some of them looked familiar, and was shocked when she realized that most of them were from her school! Angrily, Akane stomped up to Hiroshi. Startled, he quickly hid the hand-held radio in his pocket, and tried to look normal.

What the heck is going on here?" Akane demanded, incredibly confused. Hiroshi put his hand behind his head and smiled, sweat drops pouring from his forehead.

"Akane, I have no idea what you're talking about! Daisuke, let's go look for Ryoga, okay?" he grabbed Daisuke by the shoulder and the two left quickly, whispering to each other the whole way.

"What was that all about?" Akane muttered, then turned her attention back to Sayuki. Ukyo was talking to her animatedly.

"Why didn't you tell us that you liked Ryoga before this! We could have tried to hook the two of you up a long time ago!" then Ukyo looked up and saw Akane looking at her curiously. "What is it Akane?" she asked.

"You know, for someone who's acted like a boy for her entire life, you sure got good at being a girl fast!" she said with a grin. Even Sayuki laughed a little at that. As they giggled, the boys returned, with Ryoga in tow.

"Wow, that was fast," Ukyo exclaimed, "where'd you find him?"

"We found him in the auxiliary broom closet, trying to get himself _out_ of the ventilation system. No idea how he got in there, though." Daisuke explained.

"You don't want to know…" came Ryoga's strained reply. Then he slapped himself on the forehead. "Oh no! I left the snacks in that room with all the canisters and the projector! I'd better-"

"-Sit down and let us handle this." Hiroshi finished for him, "the movie's about to start, so you guys sit down and Daisuke and I will get the snacks. Is there anything specific you would like?" Behind him, Akane spied Daisuke trying to hide the hand-held radio he was speaking into. She heard him mumble something about 'emergency snacks', and then he slid the hand-held radio into his pocket and turned to leave. Akane caught his shoulder before he got too far and whispered fiercely, "What are you guys doing? What's with the-?" she was interrupted by the lights dimming and the previews beginning. Daisuke slipped out of her grasp.

"Well, I better hurry or I'll miss the beginning of the movie!" He called back as he and Hiroshi made a hasty exit. Akane sighed and sat down in her seat. Ukyo sat next to her, and Sayuki sat Ryoga down in a seat on the other side, leaving room for Daisuke to sit next to Ukyo.

Ryoga gazed longingly at the seat next to Akane, knowing that Hiroshi would soon sit there. _It's so unfair!_ Gritting his teeth, he made a move to stand up and sit down next to Akane, but Sayuki stopped him.

"So Ryoga, do you get to go to the movies very often?" she inquired as the previews started. Ryoga turned to look at her,

"What?" he asked.

"Well, it's just that none of us really know what you do when you're out of town. I was just, um, curious to know what you're like." Ryoga could see her cheeks get red even in the dim light of the theater. In the dark, she looked even prettier than she had before. He settled down and replied,

"Well, it's pretty tough training, you know. I really only got to rest every now and then when I came here. And even then it was tough, with Ranma around and all." He began, and Sayuki listened intently.

"That's right, you and Ranma were friends, weren't you?" she queried when he paused.

"Well, actually-" Ryoga began to protest.

"Tell me how you met him. I've always wondered." Sayuki requested.

"Be quiet, the movie's starting soon!" Ukyo whispered at them loudly.

"Oh, sorry." They both apologized.

Hiroshi and Daisuke returned with the snacks just before the previews ended, and as they distributed them, Akane leaned over to Ukyo and whispered in her ear,

"Hey, that was just a bit **too** fast, don't you think? I mean, the line at concessions was really long when we came in here, right?" Ukyo thought about that for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess so. And what about the hand-held radios? What do you think is going on?" She was interrupted by Daisuke handing her a soda.

"And here you are. Mountain dew, right?" he asked her. She mumbled thanks and Daisuke sat down next to her. A moment later, the movie started, and the group was caught up in the action and drama being portrayed on the screen.

The movie was an American import, Shanghai Noon. (Author's note: That's owned by Touchstone video. I am not one of them either.) They all enjoyed it immensely. Once, a couple of people started talking loudly during the film, annoying everyone. Hiroshi stood up for a moment, muttered something about "needing to use the bathroom", and left the theater room. As he left, Akane noticed him take something out of his pocket that looked a lot like a hand-held radio. He came back in the room about 20 seconds later, _much too soon for a bathroom break_, Akane thought, then noticed two large boys- Furinken High students Akane recognized from the Karate Club- came and sat next to the loud people. They stayed quiet for the rest of the film. Akane leaned forward a little and shot Ukyo a meaningful glance. Ukyo nodded in return.

After watching all the way through the bloopers in the credits to the very end, the gang left the theater quickly. As they left, Daisuke waved goodbye to the guy working at the concessions stand, and Ukyo thought she saw the guy wink back. Ukyo decide that she'd play along and try to catch the boys off guard.

"So, Daisuke, you said you had something special in mind for dinner tonight. I'm getting a little hungry, so why don't we go see what it is?" As she spoke, she slipped her hand in his. Daisuke looked over at Hiroshi and smugly asked, "I dunno. Hiroshi, what do you think?" Hiroshi glanced over at Akane, who was watching him warily, and mumbled his assent.

"Well, Kuonji-san, I think that about settles it." As he signaled for a cab, Ukyo nudged him.

"Oh come on, Daisuke, call me Ukyo." Then she let go of his arm and went to speak to Akane. "Come on, Akane-chan, lighten up and enjoy yourself! I know it's a little strange, and I'm not sure what's going on either, but I'm having fun, and Sayuki-" She glanced over at Sayuki, who was practically glowing as she spoke with Ryoga about his life. "-Sayuki looks like she is **really** enjoying herself."

Ryoga was enjoying himself as well, despite the fact that he was currently not on a date with Akane- but rather her friend Sayuki instead. He'd never been engaged in such easy conversation before. Every time he tried to talk to Akane, for instance, his brain shut off right at the very moment he was about to start talking, or that jerk Ranma would come along and screw everything up, or he'd get wet and turn into P-Chan. Conversations with most other girls went pretty much the same way. Sayuki was quite different. She was easy to talk to, and seemed genuinely interested in what Ryoga had to say. She seemed to especially enjoy it when he spoke of all the 'amazing' travels that he'd had.

The cab didn't have enough space for everybody in it, so they got a second one, and Sayuki and Ryoga took that one to the restaurant. Hiroshi and Daisuke hadn't wanted it to be known where they were going, so they whispered it into the ear of the cab driver before they set off. Ryoga had Sayuki laughing almost the entire trip by telling her how he had tried for four days to get to the vacant lot to fight Ranma, and about his trip to mount Osso in Kyushu with a little old lady. He hadn't thought they were all that funny, but Sayuki was laughing so much he didn't care.

"So she really hit you with your own umbrella?" Sayuki was giggling, "Oh my gosh that's hilarious!" Ryoga looked more embarrassed than mirthful at the retelling, but for some reason he didn't feel like he minded as much as he felt he should. Something about the way she smiled at him, he couldn't quite place it. He liked her smile. It wasn't as nice a smile as Akane's, but it had some very nice points to it. Ryoga looked around him and noticed a landmark he was more than passingly familiar with.

"Hey, isn't that Tokyo Tower?" He said, pointing it out as it stood out along the skyline.

"So it is," Sayuki replied. "I thought you didn't have any ability to recognize those sort of..." Sayuki trailed off as she realized she might be saying something that would hurt Ryoga's feelings.

"It's ok," Ryoga told her, chuckling a bit, "I know that one at least. I got stuck in it for the better part of a month when we went there on a class trip in elementary school!"

"You're kidding!" Sayuki gasped in disbelief. Ryoga shook his head, grinning.

"Nope. So, what about you? What sort of things do you do?" He was rewarded when Sayuki blushed again.

The other cab was a bit quieter and more subdued. Hiroshi and Daisuke were fidgeting nervously the whole trip, and that was making conversation difficult. Luckily the ride was kind of short, and they ended up going into downtown Tokyo- and stopped at one of the highest-rated restaurants in the city.

"Wow," Ukyo breathed as she glanced at Daisuke. "Tell me you're joking and we're not actually eating in there..."

"Oh, we're eating in there all right," Daisuke told her. Daisuke pointed at the restaurant in question, indicating a massive, brightly lit, impressive establishment that was well known for its quality and extravagance.

Akane recognized the name: Daikoku, the family that Genma had almost traded Ranma to for a bowl of rice and a couple of pickles (See season two, episode 4: Clash Of The Delivery Girls! The Martial Arts Takeout Race!) and then stolen him back and run off.

_I'd almost lost him then... I remember how scared I was that Kaori was going to win the race, and then Ranma came along and helped me to win. I know how much he hated becoming a girl at the time, but he- he did it for me. _

Akane bit back the tears that welled up in her eyes as fast as she could, but the more sharp-eyed of fellow cab riders noticed them before she could hide them.

"Akane, what's up?" Ukyo whispered in her ear.

"Nothing," Came Akane's less-than-convincing reply. "I just- I got something in my eye."

"Well better get it out quick. Wouldn't want to break the spell just now when we're about to head in there!" Ukyo nodded towards the boys, who were busy exiting the cab and paying the driver. Akane caught Hiroshi staring at her, and when she made eye contact, he looked down and muttered something to Hiroshi. Hiroshi nodded back at him and finished paying just as the other cab arrived. It slowed to a stop and deposited a very happy looking Sayuki. And no Ryoga. Sayuki looked expectantly at the other side of the cab, and after a moment began to look concerned.

Hiroshi and Daisuke approached the driver's window, and when it rolled down began to pay the driver. As they were busy with that, the trunk popped open and Ryoga spilled out onto the pavement. As he landed with a soft, "Oof," Ryoga said in bewilderment, "So that's where he moved the door!" Akane, Ukyo, Hiroshi, and Daisuke all facefaulted while Sayuki just giggled.

"You're so funny, Ryoga!" She said, and turned to Akane and Ukyo. "Look at all these things he does just to make us laugh! What a great guy to have around!" Ukyo and Akane could do nothing but stare back at her, with sweat drops forming at the back of their heads. Finally it was Akane who spoke.

"Um, yeah. Why don't we head inside before we're late for our reservation!" The others nodded and the group hurried inside.

The inside of the restaurant was just as impressive as the outside. A brightly-lit corridor led to the main dining area, but a well-dressed man by an elevator nearby stopped them.

"The Furinkan party, I assume." He peered at Hiroshi, Daisuke, Akane and Ukyo. Daisuke replied quickly,

"Yes. For six, right?"

"I only count four of you, sir." The man seemed entirely unfazed by the shock on the four teen's faces. Daisuke immediately whirled around and addressed the others.

"All right, Hiroshi and I will go look for Ryoga and Sayuki. You two wait here, ok?" He looked slightly pained as he tried to tug a now-familiar hand-held radio out of his pocket, but the pair dashed back out the front door before Akane or Ukyo could say anything further. Akane turned to look at Ukyo.

"Should we try to get to the bottom of this before or after we find Sayuki and Ryoga? I mean, as long as they're together I'm not worried about their safety or anything." Ukyo nodded with her reply,

"Yeah, he can take care of anything this city can dish out, now that Ranma-honey's..." she clapped her hand over her mouth, stopping herself in mid-sentence. She looked over at Akane and the two of them noted a very familiar look in each others' faces. It had been an agreement between the two of them, not to mention Ranma unless they were in Ukyo's shop and it was closed. This was to prevent anyone getting caught in the flood of tears and/or violence that erupted most of the time his name was mentioned. (What were you thinking? Pervert.) Ukyo began to stammer out an apology,

"Akane, I'm sorry, it's just that Ryoga being around reminds me of-" Akane cut her off.

"Don't worry about it. I'm having a fun time tonight, and I'm not going to let some BAKA (There's another drink) cross-dresser ruin it with stupid memories and forgotten promises!" She gave a wicked grin that Ukyo could tell was forced. " Now let's go find the boys and get to the bottom of what's going on here! Ukyo noted the briefest flash of Akane's battle-aura and for a moment felt very sorry for Hiroshi and Daisuke if they tried to weasel out of disclosing what was going on this time. Then she followed Akane as she threw the doors open to the outside. What she saw there she couldn't have expected in a million years.

Author's Notes:

We're nearly at the end of what I have written so far, and with how long people are likely to have to wait for the next chapter (It could be as long as waiting until I'm finished with EGMA or Apology), I strongly suggest that you not get impatient. There are lots of other good stories out there to keep you occupied. There will likely only be another couple of chapters to this, but I have a sequel in my notes, more for my amusement than anything else.


	4. Chapter 4

I WISH I COULD TELL YOU THAT I OWNED THE RIGHTS TO USE ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS AND WHATNOT, BUT I DON'T. THE LAWYERS AND THE WEASELS WOULD BOTH TRY TO GET ME AND TO BE HONEST I DON'T KNOW WHICH GROUP I'M MORE SCARED OF. PROBABLY THE LAWYERS. WEASELS TEND TO LEAVE A LITTLE OF YOU BEHIND WHEN THEY'RE FINISHED. OK. THAT WAS OFF TOPIC. UMM, ALL THIS STUFF BELONGS TO RUMIKO TAKAHASHI AND I'M JUST MAKING STUFF UP INVOLVING HER CHARACTERS. ANY MONEY YOU THINK THIS IS WORTH (AND YOU'D SURPRISE ME IF YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS THAT GOOD) SHOULD GO TO HER. BUY RANMA STUFF WITH THE MONEY! MAYBE IF WE ALL BOUGHT RANMA STUFF, SHE'D FINISH OFF THE SERIES OR SOMETHING...

Ukyo and Akane

chapter 4: the Truth

"Hard Dragon Rough Tiger elements, we have a situation. Ryoga's gone again, but he has Sayuki with him so make it good and believable when you find them and bring them back here!" Hiroshi shouted over a megaphone, addressing a crowd of people that Ukyo and Akane again recognized from school. There was a horrified simultaneous gasp from the audience as the Akane charged out the door with murder in her eyes. Even her anger couldn't stand up against the shock of seeing about sixty of her classmates staring at her. Oblivious, Hiroshi continued,

"What are you doing? Get going, find them! Wha-Oh." Daisuke had noticed Akane and Ukyo at the door and had tugged on Hiroshi's shirt, finally drawing his attention to what the crowd had already seen. In a flash, the crowd dispersed, leaving the four alone in front of the restaurant. The two girls could do nothing but stare and blink, so complete was their confusion. The boys looked back at them sheepishly. Daisuke was the first to speak.

"So, uh, we're pretty close to finding-" Akane cut him off, growling menacingly.

"You better tell us what's going on RIGHT NOW or I'm gonna get mad!"

Both boys blanched at her fury. They looked at each other and gulped. Daisuke contemplated what could happen if he didn't come clean and his mind raced through the stories that Ranma had told him. He decided that none of the likely scenarios were good for his health. As he and Hiroshi met eyes, he could tell that they had come to the same conclusion. They both sighed, and Hiroshi finally spoke.

"All right Akane, you win. We were so exited that we could take you two out for a fun time that we didn't want anything to go wrong. So we asked Na- some people for help. We ended up getting a lot of help from a lot of people, actually. Most everyone at school owed-was worried sick about you guys for the last couple months, so we all decided to do everything we could to help you guys out." He threw his best smile on his face and shut his eyes as tight as they could go in hopes that perhaps if he didn't see it coming it wouldn't hurt so much. Daisuke had shut his eyes in expectation of mayhem when Hiroshi had started to speak.

Looking at the two boys shutting their eyes as if their worlds were about to end, Ukyo and Akane could do nothing as they doubled over in laughter.

A scream from a nearby alleyway caught their attention, and before the boys could even straighten up, Akane and Ukyo were already moving.

The scene they met when they rounded the corner was one of chaos. Ukyo was the first to see what was happening, but her view wasn't very good since she had to dodge a teenaged boy wearing biker leathers as he was flying through the air. She ducked under him and he finished his impromptu attempt at airborne acrobatics by landing on his face in the street. As Akane came around the corner and Ukyo straightened up, they saw was was causing the commotion; Ryoga was fending off almost a dozen attackers while Sayuki cringed behind him!

Akane was shocked. _Some of the moves Ryoga's using are-_ _Ranma's!_

Ukyo was about to throw herself into the fray when Daisuke yelled from behind them, "Abort! Abort!"

The battle before them immediately ground to a halt, all of the combatants stopping as several of the teenage delinquents winced and pressed their hands to their ears. Those that did shot very dirty looks at a flustered Daisuke standing behind Ukyo and Akane.

Ryoga didn't waste the opportunity to get Sayuki out of harm's way. He swept her up in his arms and with a great leap landed with the rest of the group. He tried to put Sayuki down between Ukyo and Akane, but she clung tightly to him. Now that the fight had stopped, Ryoga suddenly realized how close he was to a very attractive girl. He glanced down at her face buried in his chest and blinked in confusion.

Akane growled and prepared to make the group of would-be muggers into pancakes. _Makes about a dozen..._ She thought with a wry grin. She was stopped by yet another outburst.

"Wait!" Daisuke cried. "That's the Kendo club!"

"What?" Akane wheeled around, fury once again igniting her features.

Daisuke flinched again and put up his hands in a feeble attempt at protecting himself. Hiroshi let out a sigh and glanced at Ukyo, then at the Kendo club. "Let's go in," he said, "I'll explain everything in detail over dinner."

Hiroshi made good on his promise over dinner. The boys had been so excited to get a date with the two girls that they'd done what nobody in their right mind would ever do – they went to Nabiki for help. She'd helped them to plan, she'd set up most of the date's events, and even provided a great deal of help (in the form of a number of people who owed her favors) to ensure that the evening went smoothly. The boys were now in debt up to their eyeballs, but they had felt that it would be worth it for the chance to impress two of the prettiest martial artists around. There were teams of helpers set up in both date locations, and the hand-held radios were a way to direct those teams to where they were needed. As for the 'mugging' attempt outside, the Kendo club was doing their best to make it seem like a random attack and chase Ryoga and Sayuki out to the front of the restaraunt. They hadn't counted on Ryoga's fighting skills.

After that, the meal went quite well, except for a few odd glances that Akane shot Ryoga's way. He noticed after a while and began to get nervous. After a few minutes, he tried to excuse himself to the restroom. Hiroshi motioned for one of the 'assistants' to escort him there and back.

"I'll go with him," Akane quickly voiced. "I want him to come back to the table, after all." Noting a slight glare from Sayuki, Akane added, "There's something I want to ask him about, too."

Ryoga just gulped and rose from his seat. "I uh, what can I do for you, Akane?" he was quite obviously nervous, and kept looking from Akane to Sayuki, almost as though he was seeking asylum.

Akane decided not to beat around the bush any longer. "You can tell me where you learned some of those moves. You didn't know them last time I saw you fight, and there's only one person I know that used them. Actually, forget explaining where you learned the techniques from – Where's Ranma?"


	5. Chapter 5

THESE CHARACTERS AND ALL OF THE LOCATIONS BELONG TO RUMIKO TAKAHASHI AND THOSE THAT SHE HAS DECIDED DESERVE TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THEM. I'M JUST BORROWING THEM FOR A BIT SO THAT I CAN DO HORRIBLE THINGS TO THEM AND NOT GET PAID. IT'S ILLEGAL FOR ME TO DO THIS AND GET PAID FOR IT, SO CONSIDER WHAT I'M DOING A SORT OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE AND ENJOY IT (OR DON'T. IT'S UP TO YOU). DON'T LET ME BECOME WEASEL BAIT.

Ukyo and Akane

Chapter 5: Aftermath

The table went silent, except for a small gasp from Ukyo.

Ryoga went white as a sheet as he realized that he'd been caught. He tried to speak, but his mouth suddenly went dry. Finally he managed to mutter, "The- the training was tough. Ranma and I worked on it together for a week-"

"I don't care about that," Akane snapped, voice cold as ice. "Where. Is. Ranma?"

Ryoga glanced once more at Sayuki, whose eyes had become large and round. He felt that she could look right through him, straight into his soul. It was more of a shock when he realized that she didn't look like she hated him for what she saw there. He glanced back at Akane and took a step back as he saw the maelstrom of emotions pouring out of her. None of them were good. Images shot through his mind then, visions of Ranma and Akane together. Fighting, mostly, but over time getting more and more comfortable with each other. He saw the look on Akane's face the morning Ranma'd disappeared – he'd been there, seen her world come crumbling down. He saw the last glimpse he'd had of Ranma as they parted ways last week.

Ryoga had asked him what he was going to do about Akane. Ranma had clammed up, then turned away from him and in a voice thick with emotion said that he couldn't ruin her life by being a part of it anymore. Not until he found a cure and a solution to the fiancee problem. Ryoga could have sworn that Ranma was crying, but didn't want to believe it. That would mean that Ranma was really in love with – No. He couldn't be, they always fought! One look at Ranma, though, revealed that he was about ready to unleash a perfect Shishi Hokou-dan. Ranma... and Akane... were in lo- Ryoga's heart shattered into a million tiny jagged pieces. His feet turned away from Ranma on their own, and left him at the training ground as Ryoga ran as though his life depended on it.

It was a few minutes before Ryoga realized that he was running in real life, as well. Deeply upset by the fact that Akane just couldn't let go of Ranma, even after everything he'd done to hurt her, Ryoga was running. Running so that he didn't have to answer her question, running so he didn't have to look at her eyes so full of hurt and anger – and running so he didn't have to face the fact that the two of them had felt so strongly for each other.

His only regret this time was that he hadn't apologized to Sayuki for running away.

Back at the restaraunt, things were rather hectic. Akane had burst into tears as soon as Ryoga had fled. Hiroshi and Daisuke had no clue what to do about the situation, so they just settled for sipping their drinks and trying to pretend they didn't exist. Finally, Ukyo and Sayuki managed to walk Akane to the bathroom in an effort to calm her down. Upon their return, the rest of the meal was eaten in silence. The plan to have a walk in the park was unanimously laid to rest without even raising the question, and the boys dropped off first Sayuki at her house and then Akane and Ukyo at Ucchan's Okonomiyaki. All three girls mechanically thanked the boys for the night out and reminded them that the horrid ending had not been their fault.

Inside Ucchan's, Ukyo sat Akane down on a stool and got them both a hot chocolate. She sat facing Akane when she returned.

"Akane, listen. I've got some things to tell you. Since about a week after Ranma disappeared, I've been paying Nabiki to look for him."

Akane gasped and glared at Ukyo, surprised and angry that she hadn't told her sooner. She opened her mouth to protest, but Ukyo continued.

"I wanted to have better news before I told you, but the truth is that Ranma's somehow really good at this. All we've found is old trails and dead ends. The last lead we had was a guy matching Ranma's description calling himself 'Yamaguchi Kappei' enrolling in a communications class at a local college in Hokkaido. That was three months ago, and he left as soon as he finished." Ukyo grinned a mirthless smile. "He didn't even pass the class.

"Before that, it was a 'Sato Ranmaru' in Osaka, looking for information on magical sites and artifacts. He disappeared pretty quickly, too. The one before that was a Hibiki Hikaru, a redheaded girl seeking relationship counseling. There's been a couple others, but in short, Akane, we've got no idea where he is or what he's up to. I guess Ryoga's seen him more recently, but I don't think he'll tell us anything." Ukyo sighed and looked at the floor as though it had all the answers. "I don't think we'll find him until he wants to be found..."

As Akane began to tear up again, Ukyo moved around the counter to sit next to her, sipping her hot chocolate. As she sat down she looked deeply into the cup and spoke up again. "And I – I think I'm glad for that." She admitted with a voice half choked with emotion.

Akane looked up at Ukyo, unable to meet her gaze because Ukyo was staring at her cup.

Ukyo sighed for a moment and her shoulders slumped in defeat. "If he'd stayed around, you and I would still be fighting over him." her gaze rose for just a second, a brief moment of eye contact shared between them before Ukyo dropped her sight to the mug in her hands again. "I lost though. You could see it every time he looked at you, just before he took off... he'd look at you and his eyes would get this look in them that he never got for any of the rest of us." Ukyo sighed again. "And then he'd look down at himself and it was like his world ended. I used to think that meant that he didn't want to be married to you, but after he left I pieced a bunch of it together. I think he wanted to fix himself, Akane – fix himself for you.

"I think even Shampoo and the other amazons had figured it out. She started coming over here to try to get me involved in some of her plans shortly before he took off. You should have heard her, Akane. She was out for blood – getting really desperate. She kept bugging me to try to catch you off guard so you'd be out of the equation. She quit coming over to try to get my help after I kissed her."

"What?" Akane half shouted, shocked at such an admission. She drew slightly away from Ukyo just as the chef started to explain.

Ukyo blushed heavily. "It's not what you think! It was the day before Ranma left. I never even saw her again, thankfully. She'd come over and tried to get me angry enough to go in with one of her plans by reminding me again that she'd actually KISSED Ranma and that I hadn't yet. She was going on and on about how it felt to have her lips pressed up against his, and how it felt... I got so sick of it that I kissed her so I could feel like I'd kissed Ranma indirectly. It was a really stupid idea, but suddenly I had a realization. I don't like kissing other girls. I may not have minded his curse at first, but I sure wanted it gone. I didn't want Ranma as he was. It wasn't just the curse either – I wanted a husband who would work in my restaurant, take care of the kids, and be around all the time. You were the only one who ever really accepted him – LOVED him – as he was, Akane. I never cared about what he wanted, I never thought about his feelings. He always called me his best friend, but I think I was the worst friend ever."

Akane listened with rapt attention, too much in shock to even be upset anymore as her friend poured out her soul to her. "I don't think I was very nice to you back when I first came to Nerima, and I – I wanted to say I'm really sorry for everything I did. You're the best friend I've ever had, Akane. It wasn't until he'd been gone for a while that I realized that I wasn't looking for Ranma for me anymore..." Ukyo trailed off for a moment, then her voice cracked into a broken sob. "I want to bring him back for you."


	6. Chapter 6

I CANNOT CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CREATION OF THESE CHARACTERS. I DEARLY WISH I COULD, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO BE RUMIKO TAKAHASHI AND MY JAPANESE SKILLS ARE PITIABLY SUB-PAR AND I'M A MALE. I'D DO A TERRIBLE JOB AT BEING HER. SO INSTEAD I'M ME AND STATE INSTEAD THAT I INTEND TO MAKE NO MONEY ON THIS VENTURE AND IF I DO I WILL BE EATEN BY MY HORDE OF SEMI-TRAINED RABID WEASELS. SEMI-TRAINED IN THAT THEY ONLY SEEM TO TARGET PLAGIARISTS AND COPYRIGHT VIOLATORS – BOTH OF WHICH DESERVE WHATEVER COMES TO THEM.

Ukyo and Akane

Chapter 6

Epilogue... and a new beginning.

Three years, ten months, and twenty two days after his disappearance...

Rain had never felt so good. After so long learning to hate it, Ranma was reveling in his ability to finally get soaking wet without becoming a top contender in a wet t-shirt contest.

He'd been cured for a day and a half now, and was eagerly anticipating his return to Nerima. He could smell the savory aroma of Ukyo's okonomiyaki, the salty tang of the Amazon's ramen, and the delicious fragrance of Kasumi's amazing homemade meals. He could even detect a faint, caustic odor signifying one of Akane's kitchen disasters. He couldn't help but grin. He'd even be willing to try one of her 'experiments' when he got home.

The word still struck him as odd. He'd been gone from the Tendo household for longer than he'd lived there, but it still felt like home to him. He supposed that was because he'd had nowhere else to call home before then. Ever. He knew there was his mother's house, but he'd spent a couple years there only as a baby, and didn't really remember it. The Tendo Dojo was home to him.

When he closed his eyes, he could see the entryway, where he'd put his shoes before moving to the hallway. He'd listen to the sounds of Akane yelling as she broke blocks in the dojo out back while he made his way into the kitchen where Kasumi would be fixing dinner. The fathers would be out on the porch playing shogi and the dull rythmic thud of bass let him know that Nabiki was upstairs in her room relaxing.

He'd keep moving out to the dojo to meet Akane and he'd watch her for a little while without her noticing. He'd follow her every move with rapt attention, watching the curves of her body move with fluid grace as she executed moves that few other people in the world could muster. He'd sneak up behind her and catch her off guard for a moment, surprising her into attempting a strike at him. He'd block, of course, and fall into a ready stance with the feral grin that he'd found drove women absolutely up the wall with desire. She'd blush slightly and come at him, all motion and fury. He loved the way she moved. They'd spar for a bit, her attacking with furious abandon and him dodging, when finally he'd let her come close. He'd duck into her guard, and pop up right in her face. She'd be so surprised that she'd stop and blush furiously. Looking her straight in the eyes, he'd slowly move closer. Akane of course would refuse to give ground, and he'd advance bit by bit until they could feel each other's breath on their lips and the entire world was just the two of them gazing into each other's eyes. Just when neither of them could wait any longer...

*Smack!* Stinging pain erupted across Ranma's eyes. He quickly snapped the tree limb he'd walked into off with a deft flick of the wrist, cursing as he did so. This sort of thing had been happening far too often lately. He'd imagine what things would be like when he got home, and completely tune out the rest of the world. Completely inappropriate for the 'World's Greatest Martial Artist'. Ranma laughed. At least he wasn't cursed anymore! The rain started coming down in a massive deluge, one that nobody in their right mind would try to brave. Of course that meant that Ranma was enjoying it more and more. _The wetter the better,_ he decided, and lengthened his strides. He could be home by tonight, if he hurried.

The dilapidated, abandoned building that used to be the Cat Cafe was a surprise. It looked like the building had been deserted shortly after he left Nerima. Using the Umisenken, Ranma was easily able to slip into the building without so much as a sound. The inside looked pretty much the same. After searching the place, Ranma'd found no evidence of anyone having been there for quite some time.

_ Well, that's one meal I suppose I won't be getting again._ _I guess I'll try location number two..._

The situation at Ucchan's was no less surprising. The restaurant had been remodeled, the upstairs had been converted into another dining area, and he didn't recognize the two young adults working there. The recipe was familiar, however, even if the cook wasn't quite as good as Ukyo had been. The prices had risen, too, and Ranma wistfully recalled the times he used to eat for free at his best friend's eatery as he forked over the cash for his meal.

He visited several other sites, moving across Nerima with no apparent pattern. The park with some of his favorite hiding places, the movie theater, the canals, all places where Ranma had memories. His last stop before his destination was Furinken High School.

The school was closed for the day, and Ranma spent a few minutes walking through the grounds, recalling all of the memories that he had of the place. The education had been laughable – not that he'd paid attention anyway – but he'd made some friends that he'd missed over the years and of course there had been Akane.

Now that he was so close to his destination, he could feel the nervous butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he moved closer and closer to it. He briefly contemplated turning around and going for just one more lap around Japan, but steeled himself. Ranma Saotome had never been a coward, and – okay, Ranma Saotome had been a coward when he ran off without telling anyone almost four years ago, but he wasn't going to be one now. It was time to get his old life back, and this time to put it right.

He'd finally cured his curse, and he'd been going to counseling and relationship courses for years now. He'd done everything he'd set out to do, and now he was going home. Home to the family and friends that he'd so desperately missed. Heck, he'd even missed the panda from time to time. He missed Nabiki's machinations, Mr. Tendo's tears, and even... okay, he didn't miss the freak. Nothing could make him want Happosai around, even if the old pervert could still probably teach him a thing or two. _At least the old letch can't grope me in girl form anymore..._ Ranma smiled at that thought. While his cursed form had certainly given him one or two advantages over the ancient hentai, Ranma was still glad to have gotten rid of it.

He hesitated a moment at the Tendo Dojo entrance. The place looked almost exactly as it had when he'd left. There was a little more wear and tear, but other than that, everything was exactly as he had pictured it in his mind. There was even still the sign – _To challenge the owner in savage hand to hand combat..._

Ranma wondered for a moment if that would be a more appropriate entrance to use. Akane would probably mallet him into next week for what he'd done. He smirked. She'd always been so incredibly intense, so fierce, so independent. No other girl ever could get as much of a rise out of him, no matter what they tried. And some of them had been pretty... insistent. Shampoo's constant attentions and complete lack of propriety had been difficult to say the least, but nothing she had ever done had caught his attention as much as a simple smile on Akane's lips. Color rushed to his cheeks and he shook his head to clear it of thought.

He steeled his nerves and prepared to enter the house that he'd forsaken what seemed like a lifetime ago.

Nothing he could have possibly done could have prepared him for what he found inside, however.

"Hiiiyaaah!" That was Akane's voice. Ranma was immediately reminded of his constant daydream of the last few weeks. Grinning, he decided he was going to skip to the best part and he cut around the side of the house to go straight to the dojo. He could see everyone else later. Akane was more important. He veered away from the front door towards the dojo, moving stealthily to avoid being seen. He quietly snuck up to the door of the dojo and entered just in time to see a man of average build, bishoujo facial features, and long, light-brown hair hit the wall right next to him. There was a gasp from the center of the dojo, and Ranma tore his gaze from the unfortunate guy on the floor to the person who'd thrown him.

Akane was simply gorgeous. Her hair was still rather short, but a little longer than it had been last time he'd seen her. Her cheeks were flushed with her recent exertion, giving her a rosy glow. Her eyes were the same gorgeous brown that he'd remembered, with the same indefatiguable spirit shining through. She'd grown a bit, both taller and... wow. She stood in the middle of the dojo floor, mouth agape as she stared at him. It was far from the most flattering of facial expressions, but at that moment she was simply the most beautiful thing Ranma had ever seen.

His attention was ripped from her as the man – who looked slightly familiar – got up from the floor. Ranma was about to ask him what he was doing there when his breath was driven from his lungs. Akane had used his momentary lack of attention and taken the opportunity to tackle him. The force sent them both sprawling onto the grass outside, with Akane landing on top. Ranma was too shocked that he didn't even use the momentum to throw her off when they landed.

_When did she get so fas- LIPS!_

Akane pressed her advantage to the fullest. When she and Ranma hit the ground outside the dojo she pressed her mouth against his with as much fervor as she could muster. His arms reflexively came up to embrace her as all of her pent-up feelings were expressed in one pure act. After a moment of inexperienced but very enthusiastic passion, she broke off the kiss, leaving him breathless and heaving.

"That's for coming back to me." Akane whispered in Ranma's ear, her hot breath making him feel faint with barely-controlled desire. As he lay there gasping, she suddenly stood, one foot still on his chest.

"And this," her voice suddenly became much sharper as she pulled a gigantic mallet out of nowhere, "This is for running away to begin with!"

She let it fall with incredible force and – as the darkness claimed him – for the first time since arriving in Nerima, Ranma was not surprised.

"Did you have to hit him so hard, 'Kanchan?"

"The baka had it coming."

"I can't say I really disagree with you there, sugar. Is he going to be okay, Kasumi-neechan?"

"He'll be fine, he just needs to – oh look! He's waking up already."

Ranma groaned as he struggled to make out who was saying what. He was pretty sure that the second voice was Akane. He'd know that statement anywhere. The first and third were the same person. That dialect... Ukyo? And the last, you couldn't mistake the musical quality to it – that had to be Kasumi.

_Wait a sec...'Kanchan'? 'Kasumi-neechan'?_ It looked like he'd missed more during his absence than he'd thought. He finally managed to pull his eyelids apart.

He was laying on the living room floor. Akane, Kasumi, and Ukyo surrounded him, while at the table Ryoga played cards with two others – the man Akane'd thrown earlier and a familiar-looking girl.

Ryoga leaned over and leered at Ranma. "Hey look, the weakling's awake!"

The girl sitting next to him admonished, "Ryoga-kun! I thought you agreed not to start any fights today!" She rolled her eyes when he began to protest. "Wait until tomorrow."

_Boy, does she have him whipped..._ Ranma's thought was cut off by a statement from the unknown male.

"Heh, with how easily Akane-san took him out I don't think that would be a very long fight." said the long-haired man, grinning towards Ranma, obviously seeking to goad him.

Everyone had expected a blustering, macho response from Ranma, but he surprised them all with his answer.

"Actually, it was a really good hit. She took advantage of it the instant my attention wasn't on her." Ranma smiled at the astounded looks on most of the faces in the room as he struggled to sit up. The first thing he noticed had his eyes bugging out of his sockets, however.

"Ka-Kasumi! Y-you're..." Ranma couldn't even finish his statement.

"Seven months pregnant, yes." Kasumi's casual reply was almost flippant, but not as shocking as her next statement. "Little Sousuke-kun here will be Tofu-chan and my second child."

Ranma was completely flabbergasted. "Wow," he muttered, "who woulda thunk he had it in him?"

"Actually," The girl at the table said with a giggle, "Kasumi's the one who had it in-"

"Sayuki!" Akane admonished. "Really now..." As she turned back to face Ranma, he could see she was blushing hotly.

_Sayuki... Sayuki... Oh yeah! Akane's friend from class! That's one down..._

"So Ranchan, not to be the jerk here or anything, but what gives?" Ukyo looked at him questioningly, "I mean, you take off without a word to anyone and none of us hear from you for ages!"

"I-" Ranma found himself unable to explain immediately. He took deep breath, like he'd learned to, and began speaking, carefully choosing his words.

"I needed to get out of the mess I'd made. I couldn't see any way out of the situation in a way that wasn't gonna really hurt somebody so I figured I just needed to go find some new tools. I mean, I could outfight anybody," Ranma pointedly ignored the derisive snort from Ryoga and continued,

"but I couldn't talk my out of a paper bag. I spent a long time finding classes and stuff, but I didn't do very well at those. I found a counselor, to try to overcome my fear of cats, and we ended up workin' on a lot more than just that. We worked on gender issues, my hyperinflated ego, the violent tendencies to solve every problem..." He gave a very pointed glance at Ryoga at that statement, making Sayuki giggle again. "Mostly, I just talked about everything that was goin' on, you know?

"He helped me out a lot, and I know I wouldn't be the person I am now if I hadn't done it. He taught me how to speak better than I knew how, how to avoid conflict, and how to connect to people. Mostly, he taught me that it was okay to care. It took a long time, and I really did miss you guys," He looked directly at Akane when he said that part, and everyone in the room knew exactly who it was directed to. "...but if I hadn't done it, nothin' woulda changed. We'd still be fighting, and I would never been able to tell you-" He reached down to grasp Akane's hand in his own, gazing deeply into her dark brown eyes. "- to tell you that I love you."

Despite everything else Ranma had had to say so far, this confession floored everyone. Most of them blushed politely, Akane herself felt woozy and rather giddy, but the biggest reaction came from the person Ranma had yet to identify.

Suddenly a large flowering bush was leaning up against Ranma and giggling like a crazed schoolgirl. "Oh my gosh, that's so romantic, I want somebody to-"

"Dammit Ranma!" Akane interrupted the bush's bubbling commentary, "He was doing so well, too!"

"Wha?" Ranma asked, too rattled by the sudden assault on reason that was the bush to form a coherent statement.

"Tsubasa! Tsubasa, calm down!" Akane tried to grab the shrub as it hopped this way and that, still gushing about romance and how much it wanted a girl of it's very own to confess to.

_Tsubasa, huh? I guess that explains the hair..._

At that point, Ukyo decided to decisively intervene. With her spatula. Ranma's quick leap to dodge carried him straight into the pond, reaquanting him with the fish in a much more intimate fashion than he'd intended on his return.

_No matter how much I try..._

"Thank you, Ukyo-sama..." groaned the tattered plant.  
"Aww, man, now I gotta go change clothes again..." Ranma sputtered as he rose from the pond where he'd landed. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him in shock. Everyone except for Kasumi that is. She remained as unflappable as ever.

"Oh my! Ranma, you're cured! Isn't that nice, everyone?"

Tsubasa pulled himself up alongside Ranma with a grunt. "Heh, looks like we're both better now."

Ranma replied by reaching up and plucking an errant flower from the other boy's hair. "Is that so?"

Sayuki started it by giggling, but soon the entire house was full of uproarious laughter.

Screw it. I'm ending it right there, on that happy note. Yes, Ryoga's going to be pissed that Ranma's cured and he isn't, but he promised Sayuki he wouldn't fight until tomorrow, so Ranma can wait until then. There's bee a couple good spots to end it so far and I'm taking advantage of that one, since it accomplished what I set out to do(specifically Tsubasa's last line. It'd been rolling around in my head for years.). Yes, there's some loose ends. Takahashi-sama left a bunch, so did I. I really need to be done so I can get to work on the many other projects that are all threatening to kill me and eat my soul for dessert. Apparently it's real tasty with Cool Whip...

This chapter is a LOT different than I'd planned. Originally, Akane and Ukyo were both going to be dating others, and Ranma wasn't going to get a nice welcome home at all. Everybody was supposed to have moved on with their lives and he'd have been left behind completely. He'd get so upset(raar, angst!) that everything changed that he'd run off again (in the original plan he wasn't to have gained any maturity at all, really – just a cure) and that would set things up nicely for the sequel: Ranma and Ryoga – a little R&R. It sounded a lot better in my head, but the more I thought of it, the less time I wanted to spend on it and just finish it here. If (and that's a big if) there is to be 'A little R&R', then it will focus on the times that Ryoga ran across Ranma during the nearly 4 years that Ranma was gone. They'd fight, talk, spar, train, whatever. Ok, not THAT kind of whatever! Pervert. Now it's probably not gonna happen, and it's all your fault. So here's the deal: You write it. How's that, eh?

Special thanks to SakuraJade. I had some ideas as I was replying to her review that were vastly important to finishing this up, and actually completely changed what I had planned for the end. The changes made it better though, and simpler. Thanks again and I hope that this reminds everyone who's reading that reviews really DO help the authors out a lot, even if they don't take your advice, it can help them think of other things.

Also thanks go to my wife. Kasumi wasn't even going to be in this fic until she expressed interest in finding out how she and Tofu have been doing. The pregnancy thing jumped up and throttled my neck until I wrote it out.


End file.
